Project Tasks

Guide to creating and managing project tasks in NetSuite.

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Task Overview

TASK HIERARCHY
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

PROJECT: Website Redesign
│
├── PHASE 1: Requirements
│   ├── Task 1.1: Gather Requirements
│   ├── Task 1.2: Document Requirements
│   └── Task 1.3: Requirements Sign-off
│
├── PHASE 2: Design
│   ├── Task 2.1: Create Wireframes
│   ├── Task 2.2: Design Mockups
│   └── Task 2.3: Design Approval
│
└── PHASE 3: Development
    ├── Task 3.1: Frontend Development
    ├── Task 3.2: Backend Development
    └── Task 3.3: Integration

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Creating Tasks

Add Task to Project

CREATE PROJECT TASK
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Project Record > Tasks Subtab > Add

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Task Name:         Gather Requirements                        │
│ Task ID:           1.1                                         │
│ Parent Task:       Phase 1: Requirements                       │
│                                                                │
│ Start Date:        01/15/2026                                 │
│ End Date:          01/22/2026                                 │
│                                                                │
│ Estimated Work:    40 hours                                   │
│ Planned Work:      40 hours (if Planned Work enabled)         │
│                                                                │
│ Assigned To:       John Smith, Jane Doe                       │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Task Fields

Field	Description
Task Name	Descriptive task name
Task ID	Identifier (e.g., 1.1, 1.2)
Parent Task	Parent for subtasks
Start/End Date	Task dates
Estimated Work	Hours estimate
Planned Work	Fixed planned hours
Priority	Task priority level

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Task Dependencies

Dependency Types

Type	Code	Description
Finish-to-Start	FS	Task B starts after Task A finishes
Start-to-Start	SS	Task B starts when Task A starts
Finish-to-Finish	FF	Task B finishes when Task A finishes
Start-to-Finish	SF	Task B finishes when Task A starts

Setting Dependencies

TASK DEPENDENCIES
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Task: Design Mockups (Task 2.2)

Predecessors:
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Predecessor          Type       Lag                   │
│ ───────────          ────       ───                   │
│ Create Wireframes    FS         0 days               │
│ Requirements Doc     FS         2 days               │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Result:
  Design Mockups can start ONLY when:
  • Create Wireframes is complete
  • 2 days after Requirements Doc is complete

Lag Time

LAG TIME EXAMPLE
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Task A: Pour Concrete Foundation
Task B: Build Frame

Dependency: A → B (FS) with 3-day lag

Timeline:
  Task A: Day 1-5 (complete Day 5)
  Lag:    Day 6-8 (concrete curing)
  Task B: Starts Day 9

Configuration:
  Predecessor: Pour Concrete Foundation
  Type: FS
  Lag: 3 days

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Planned Work

Enabling Planned Work

ENABLE PLANNED WORK
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Navigation: Setup > Company > Enable Features

Check: ☑ Planned Work

Impact:
  • Task "Estimated Work" becomes "Calculated Work"
  • Calculated = Planned + Additional Work
  • Enables planned vs actual comparison

Planned vs Actual

PLANNED VS ACTUAL TRACKING
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Task: Gather Requirements

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Planned Work:       40 hours                          │
│ Actual Work:        35 hours (logged time)            │
│ Variance:           -5 hours (under budget)           │
│                                                        │
│ Percent Complete:   100%                              │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Task: Frontend Development

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Planned Work:       80 hours                          │
│ Actual Work:        65 hours (in progress)            │
│ Remaining Work:     15 hours (estimated)              │
│                                                        │
│ Percent Complete:   81%                               │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

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Task Progress

Percent Complete Calculation

PERCENT COMPLETE METHODS
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Method 1: Hours-Based (Default)
  % Complete = Actual Hours / Estimated Hours × 100
  
  Example:
    Estimated: 40 hours
    Actual:    30 hours
    % Complete: 75%

Method 2: Manual Override
  Set % Complete directly on task
  
Method 3: Milestone-Based
  0% until complete, then 100%

Task Status

Status	Description
Not Started	No work logged
In Progress	Work started
Completed	Task finished
On Hold	Temporarily paused

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Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

WBS Numbering

WBS STRUCTURE
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Project: PRJ-00125
│
├── 1.0 Phase 1: Planning
│   ├── 1.1 Requirements Gathering
│   ├── 1.2 Requirements Documentation
│   └── 1.3 Requirements Approval
│
├── 2.0 Phase 2: Design
│   ├── 2.1 Wireframe Design
│   ├── 2.2 UI/UX Design
│   └── 2.3 Design Review
│
└── 3.0 Phase 3: Execution
    ├── 3.1 Development
    │   ├── 3.1.1 Frontend
    │   └── 3.1.2 Backend
    └── 3.2 Testing

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Gantt Chart

Viewing Gantt Chart

GANTT CHART VIEW
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Navigation: Project Record > Gantt Chart Button

OR: Lists > Projects > Click Project > View Gantt

Features:
  • Visual timeline of tasks
  • Dependencies shown as connectors
  • Drag-and-drop rescheduling
  • Critical path highlighting
  • Resource assignments visible

Gantt Chart Elements

GANTT VISUALIZATION
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Jan 15    Jan 22    Jan 29    Feb 5     Feb 12
├─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┤

1.1 Requirements   ████████
1.2 Documentation        ██████
1.3 Approval                  ██
                              │
2.1 Wireframes               ──────────────
2.2 Mockups                        ████████
                                      │
3.1 Development                      ──────────────

Legend:
  ████  = Task duration
  ──    = Dependency line
  │     = Dependency connector

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Task Constraints

Constraint Types

Constraint	Description
As Soon As Possible	Default, start when ready
Finish No Later Than	Must finish by date
Start No Earlier Than	Cannot start before date
Must Start On	Fixed start date
Must Finish On	Fixed end date

Setting Constraints

TASK CONSTRAINT
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Task: Go-Live

Constraint: Finish No Later Than
Date: 03/31/2026

Effect:
  System schedules tasks backward from this date
  Alerts if schedule would miss constraint

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Task Assignments

Assigning Resources

ASSIGN RESOURCES TO TASK
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Task: Frontend Development

Assignments:
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Resource          Planned Hours    Billing Rate        │
│ ────────          ─────────────    ────────────        │
│ John Smith        40 hours         $150/hour          │
│ Jane Doe          40 hours         $125/hour          │
│                                                        │
│ Total Planned:    80 hours                            │
│ Total Billing:    $11,000                             │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

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Best Practices

Task Setup

Practice	Recommendation
Granularity	Tasks 8-40 hours each
Naming	Action verb + deliverable
Dependencies	Define critical path
Estimates	Include buffer for unknowns
Assignments	Don't over-allocate resources

Common Issues

Issue	Cause	Resolution
Circular dependency	A depends on B depends on A	Review and fix chain
Task not showing	Wrong parent	Check task hierarchy
Can't log time	Task not assigned	Assign resource
Dates not calculating	Missing dependency	Add predecessors

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Related Topics

• Project Setup - Creating projects
• Resource Allocation - Resource planning
• Time & Expense - Tracking time